All About Me plan

Ngākau whakairo

How can I ensure the rights of te tamaiti and their whānau or family are recognised and promoted at every opportunity through the planning?  

How am I ensuring that whānau or family have the opportunity to access independent support and advocacy?

Ngākau whakairo practice framework domain

Whai mātauranga

How does the plan incorporate all the important voices and opinions from those involved in caring and supporting te tamaiti or rangatahi?

Whai mātauranga practice framework domain

Whai oranga

In my practice, how can I develop a plan that works for te tamaiti or rangatahi and their caregivers, whānau or family and enhances all dimensions of oranga over time?

Whai oranga practice framework domain

Whai pūkenga

How can I advocate effectively for this whānau or family need in order to meet their goals? How have I ensured that everyone involved in the plan is aware of their roles and responsibilities?

Whai pūkenga practice framework domain

Whai ākona

How has the All About Me plan helped this tamaiti and their whānau? What other examples of good planning and practice can I draw on when developing future All About Me plans?

Whai ākona practice framework domain

This includes what we and others are doing to strengthen whakapapa connections, to enable and support the whanaungatanga responsibilities of family, whānau, hapū and iwi, and to promote mana tamaiti by supporting te tamaiti or rangatahi to achieve their goals.

The purpose of the All About Me plan is to:

• describe the support and services in place to meet the assessed needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and who is responsible for providing that support
• ensure the mana of each tamaiti or rangatahi is actively supported to flourish
• help tamariki and rangatahi understand, in language that makes sense to them, what is happening in their lives, how they will get the support they need
• support tamariki and rangatahi to live in a safe, stable and loving home from the earliest opportunity
• promote wellbeing by ensuring tamariki and rangatahi get the support and opportunities they need to establish, maintain and strengthen their whānau, hapū, iwi and wider family connections
• provide detail to help achieve the agreed outcomes of a family group conference or court plan that are specifically relevant to the care of, and support for, te tamaiti or rangatahi
• enable the flexibility to capture and respond to the changing needs and circumstances of tamariki and rangatahi
• help ensure caregivers and others involved with tamariki and rangatahi have the information they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities
• create a historic record and living document of planning information about tamariki and rangatahi.

Policy: Assessment

Policy: Caregiver support

Policy: Support for tamariki in care or custody

Policy: Transitions within care

Guidance: All About Me plan to meet the needs of tamariki

Such plans can include:

• safety plan
• detailed day-to-day plan for managing complex behavioural distress
• high and complex needs plan
• individual education plan
• gateway interagency service agreement.

There is no need to duplicate these plans, but we must:

• record where and how these plans are meeting particular needs
• link these plans to the All About Me plan
• check these other plans are working to meet the needs they seek to address when monitoring the All About Me plan.

How to guide for the All About Me plan (DOCX 3.8 MB)

The All About Me plan for tamariki and rangatahi in care must be informed by and align with any current:

• plan agreed at a family group conference
• court plan
• protection order under the Family Violence Act 2018
• order under the Care of Children Act 2004
• All About Me plan for the siblings of te tamaiti or rangatahi regarding their contact arrangements with one another
• caregiver support plan describing the support for the caregiver to meet the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi.

For tamariki or rangatahi who come into care before a family group conference or court plan has been developed, the All About Me plan must address any immediate safety concerns and any other needs we are aware of.

Policy: Assessment

Guidance: Caregiver support plan

We must take into account the views of:

• whānau or family
• the people in their hapū, iwi or family group and others who are considered important to or for te tamaiti or rangatahi 
• current caregivers
• caregivers who will care for te tamaiti or rangatahi (if known)
• people who are expected to have a role in the plan
• others who have important relationships or roles with te tamaiti, as appropriate.

Policy: Assessment

Practice standard: See and engage whānau, wider family, caregivers and when appropriate victims of offending by tamariki

The plan must be started by the key social worker as soon as we decide to seek a custody order or enter into a care agreement, and we must continue working on the plan with urgency until it is current.

Policy: Assessment

We must check that all needs assessments are up to date and that all aspects of the plan have relevant actions identified within 6 weeks of te tamaiti or rangatahi entering care. The full plan must be reviewed at a minimum of every 6 months.

We must also review any aspect of the plan when:

• there is a change of circumstance for te tamaiti or rangatahi
• we identify unmet needs or factors impacting their oranga 
• we receive any new information that requires a change to the plan.

We may also review any aspect of the plan at any time.

The information gathered through this process will help to inform scheduled family group conference or court plan reviews.

We must consider the plan with te tamaiti or rangatahi as part of each visit or engagement, so we can determine whether it needs updating.

Guidance: All About Me plan to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi

Policy: Visiting and engaging with tamariki in care

To monitor the ongoing oranga of te tamaiti or rangatahi and to gather the information we need to keep the plan up to date and on track, we must keep in regular contact with the following people:

• te tamaiti or rangatahi
• caregivers
• whānau or family
• the people in their hapū, iwi or family group and others who are considered important to or for te tamaiti or rangatahi
• professionals who provide an ongoing service for te tamaiti or rangatahi
• anyone else who has a role to play in implementing the plan.

Policy: Participation of tamariki

Policy: Assessment

Policy: Visiting and engaging with tamariki in care

Policy: Support for tamariki in care or custody

Policy: Transitions within care

Guidance: Practice for working effectively with Māori

Guidance: Caregiver support plan

Guidance: All About Me plan to meet the needs of tamariki

We complete an assessment report that articulates our understanding and analysis of the needs and circumstances of te tamaiti or rangatahi and how we will respond to them. If the change in circumstances is significant (such as a return home becoming a possibility) then it may be necessary to reconvene the family group conference or review the court plan.

Policy: Assessment

We must work with the relevant people to update the plan to reflect the current needs assessments and circumstances of te tamaiti or rangatahi.

Practice standard: See and engage whānau, wider family, caregivers and when appropriate victims of offending by tamariki

Practice standard: Work closely in partnership with others

The updated version of the plan must meet all the content requirements set out in this policy and must be consistent with the goals and objectives of the family group conference or court plan.

The updates must be recorded and provided to te tamaiti or rangatahi, whānau or family and anyone else who needs to know in order to implement the plan.

We must provide information in the plan, and regular updates on the progress and development of te tamaiti or rangatahi, to the important members of their family, whānau, hapū, iwi or family group. When determining what information is relevant to share, we must take into account:

• the place of te tamaiti or rangatahi in their whānau or family, including:
  • how the plan may affect the relationship of te tamaiti or rangatahi with their family, whānau, hapū, iwi and family group
  • the ability of the family, whānau, hapū, iwi and family group to carry out their whakapapa and whanaungatanga responsibilities
• the views, privacy and safety of te tamaiti or rangatahi and others mentioned in the plan
• restrictions of information disclosure agreed to at a family group conference or in court.

Guidance: Confidentiality and the family group conference

Policy: Participation of tamariki

We must share the section of information in the plan with those who need it to undertake their agreed responsibilities, such as teachers, advocates or other professionals, ensuring the privacy of other details is maintained.

When we share information from the plan, we must take into account any communication barriers such as language or disability, and share information in a way that helps mitigate these.

Policy: Sharing information

Guidance: Sharing information about tamariki and rangatahi

Policy: Transitions within care

Practice standards

See and engage tamariki

See and engage whānau, wider family, caregivers and when appropriate victims of offending by tamariki

Work closely in partnership with others